heartbreak

noun

heart·​break ˈhärt-ˌbrāk 

: crushing grief, anguish, or distress

has had more than her share of heartbreak

Synonyms of heartbreak

• sorrow
• grief
• anguish

Examples of heartbreak in a Sentence

He recently suffered a string of romantic heartbreaks.

I understand the heartbreak you must feel over your grandmother's death.

Recent Examples on the Web

And as this community struggles to process the heartbreak, many are rallying around a family mourning one child while another remains hospitalized, fighting to recover. —Shelley Bortz, CBS News, 18 May 2026

Now the revenge dress is seen as a legitimate way to get over a heartbreak. —Vanessa Santos, Glamour, 18 May 2026

But every so often, a story breaks through the heartbreak -- Boone's is one of them. —Arkansas Online, 17 May 2026

Driver ably brings the heartbreak in Paper Tiger, though Johansson’s no slouch in a less ornate but no less harrowing role that involves her character having a health scare and having to develop a very different perspective on the future. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 17 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for heartbreak

• awake
• backache
• beefsteak
• betake
• cheesecake
• cupcake
• daybreak
• earthquake
• forsake
• gouache
• handshake
• headache

Kids Definition

heartbreak

noun

heart·​break -ˌbrāk 

: crushing grief, anguish, or distress

heartbreaking

-ˌbrā-kiŋ

adjective

heartbreakingly adverb

heartbroken

-ˌbrō-kən

adjective